Category Archives: Malaysia

Malaysia

Sometimes You Just Want What You Want

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You know those times when you’ve got an idea in your head and won’t settle for anything else? (I bet you do.)

Today was a bit of a frustrating day at school and I got home pretty late so I didn’t have time to work out before dinner. I was quite hungry by the time I got home, too. Since we’re living in a hotel (another frustration) we don’t have the luxury of one person making dinner while the other does something else, like run errands or work out or just chill. We also don’t have the luxury of a quick, easy pot of pasta and some jarred sauce.

Another source of frustration today is that Malaysia has beautiful fruits and vegetables but, for whatever reason, salad is not a major food group here. I’ve seen lots of cold salads at lunches, but all of them have included meat. I haven’t seen any plain, boring vegetable salads on menus. And because I don’t have a kitchen (I hate not having a kitchen), I couldn’t make the one thing I wanted to eat tonight, which was a plain, boring vegetable salad.

It took some coaxing, but Mitch finally convinced me that we could go to the grocery store, buy ingredients for salad, buy all of the utensils we would need (bowls, forks, cutting board, knife, dish soap, sponge), and make salad for dinner. I protested because we only have a bathroom sink and a desk to work on, but Mitch wouldn’t let me skip eating to go to the gym so I had to eat something. Darn him. But I’m glad I listened.

Our salad included:

  • Red leaf lettuce
  • Baby butter lettuce
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Regular tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Green pepper
  • Feta cheese and black and green olives in olive oil (product of Germany)

Et voilà! It was delicious, especially in comparison to the rice I’ve had every day for too many days.

Hotel room salad, by Mitch and Rebecca
Hotel room salad, by Mitch and Rebecca

We also bought sugar snap peas but they had a weird soapy aftertaste so we threw them out. The beer section is conveniently located on the way to the cash registers in the grocery store near us, so I’d grabbed a couple cans of Guinness on the way out.

When we finished our salads, I suggested getting ice cream at the Baskin Robbins in the mall where the hotel is. And then I had a better idea: Guinness floats!

And so . . .

Ice cream + Guinness = Guinness float
Ice cream + Guinness = Guinness float

Good. Really good.

Sometimes you just want what you want, and sometimes you can figure out how to get it. Today was a frustrating day but it ended with a smile. Onto better things tomorrow!

Malaysia

Afternoon in Kuala Lumpur

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Yesterday afternoon along with two friends, Mitch and I took the train from Seremban to KL Sentral, the main train station in Kuala Lumpur. From there we transferred to the subway and headed to KL City Centre (KLCC), the main shopping and entertainment district of KL. We wandered around the massive mall, visited a few stores, tried and failed to get tickets to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) because none of us knew there was a pretty strict dress code, wandered through a lovely park, and had an excellent meal with our Scottish friends in an Irish bar. Some highlights are below. Enjoy!

So many books!
So many books!

The store in which we spent the longest was a two-story Japanese bookstore with zillions of titles in English. It was very exciting. Both interestingly and frustratingly, the books were wrapped in plastic so patrons couldn’t flip through them. To me, that almost defeats the purpose of a bookstore; I don’t like buying books electronically because I can’t look through them. Same story here. I was very glad, however, to find a section of Jewish history books and a section on Judaism in general.

Books about Judaism - note that "science and religion" are together in this section
Books about Judaism – note that “science and religion” are together in this section

This bookstore was inside a huge mall that was inside and underneath the Petronas Towers. We didn’t go up to the skybridge, but we did gaze up at them from the park outside.

The Petronas Towers are actually the same size. I guess I took the picture from a strange angle.
The Petronas Towers are actually the same size. I guess I took the picture from a strange angle.

The towers were cool but I thought the park was cooler.

Fountains
Nifty fountains
KL is pretty cool - it has dolphins that magically jump out of shallow water!
KL is pretty cool – it has dolphins that magically jump out of shallow water!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were also some awesome trees in this park in the center of KL. The mere fact that there is a park in the center of KL is pretty cool, too. It also has a 1300m track!

Very cool treeIt was a really fun afternoon and the Irish bar for dinner was great. It was nice to recognize every item on the menu for a change. The Gaelic football game that was on in the bar was enjoyable to watch, as well. We’ll definitely be back in KL. I want to explore Chinatown and see the MPO for sure!

Malaysia

When Winter Meets Summer

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As I’ve mentioned, Malaysia is hot and humid all the time. Indoors is always air conditioned, though, so you actually do need to walk around with a sweater (or just be okay being cold). I didn’t expect to move to a tropical climate and miss my cardigans, but that’s what’s happened.

Because Malaysia is a tropical climate, it has some really beautiful beaches. Yesterday the primary staff went on an outing to Port Dickson after work, which is about a 30 minute drive through palm oil plantations from Seremban.

Port Dickson
Port Dickson
I live in a place with palm trees!
I live in a place with palm trees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a really lovely time walking in the water because it’s so warm! The sand was warm and soft, too. And, of course, being around saltwater means that appetites wake up. Since the palm trees are so plentiful, the cure for that is to literally eat from nature’s fruits.

IMG_0424

 

The sun starts to set much earlier here than it does at home because we’re so much closer to the equator. It’s dark by about 7:30. We left the beach shortly after 6 and the late afternoon/early evening sun was really beautiful.

Sunset

 

In complete contrast to summer, people in Malaysia have to actually think about other types of weather because there are certain items of clothing they don’t need in their regular lives. Mitch and I could not stop laughing when we spotted a store called Winter Time in the mall where our hotel is located.

My first comment what, "Do people really think it's cold here?"
My first comment what, “Do people really think it’s cold here?”

Of course we had to go take a look around. A closer examination of the store revealed complete sets of outdoor winter attire – coats, boots, scarves, mitts, gloves, etc. – and luggage. And that’s when we figured out, “Oh, people must travel to places where it’s winter.” My second thought was, “Why?” but people like to go on vacations that are different from their real lives and winter is different from real life here.

If finance doesn't work out, Mitch can always consider a career as a model for Winter Time
If finance doesn’t work out, Mitch can always consider a career as a model for Winter Time

Wherever you are, whatever your weather – here’s to travel and adventure!